The present invention relates to an accessed object that has provided thereon a non-contact IC module including a semiconductor device, such as an IC chip, and an antenna for radio communication, and more particularly concerns an accessed object adapted for easy detection and an accessed object accessible from a plurality of directions.
Among accessed objects, there is a type that has mounted thereon an IC module including a semiconductor device, such as an IC chip, and a radio communication antenna for use in managing and searching accessed objects and also for providing better security properties for accessed objects.
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an accessed object. An IC module 101 in tag shape is mounted on the surface of the accessed object 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the IC module 101 has an IC chip 103 and a module-side coil antenna 104 formed together on a printed circuit board 102.
In data communication processing apparatus, such as a personal computer, on the other hand, an apparatus-side coil antenna 105 is provided (FIG. 1), and this apparatus-side coil antenna 105 is placed in face-to-face relation with and in proximity to the module-side antenna 104 on the accessed object 100 to make those antennas 105 and 104 electromagnetically coupled, and by this arrangement, a system is formed to read or write information on the IC chip 103.
When the prior-art IC module 101 is a quadrangle in a general shape, for example, the module-side antenna 104 has lines formed approximately evenly on the four sides with the same line width and the same line pitch as shown in FIG. 2.
Therefore, when access is made perpendicularly to the plane surface of the IC module 101, for example, by the apparatus-side antenna 105a as shown in FIG. 1, the coupling efficiency is high between the antennas 104 and 105a, so that information can be read or written on the IC chip 103 without any trouble.
However, when, for some reason, access is made to one side of the IC module 101 as by the apparatus-side antenna 105b, the coupling efficiency is low between the module-side antenna 104 on the IC module 101 and the apparatus-side antenna 105b in conjunction with magnetic flux distribution, with the result that trouble occurs in reading or writing information, reducing operational reliability.
In this case, it is necessary to change the posture of the accessed object 100 by 90° to make the surface of the IC module face the apparatus-side antenna 105b before information is read or written on the IC chip 103, and this handling of the accessed object is troublesome.
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the prior-art accessed object. In this diagram, an accessed object 100 is shown which includes a tag-shaped non-contact IC module 101 having an IC chip and a coil antenna for radio communication formed on the plane surface thereof.
Meanwhile, a coil antenna for radio communication 106 is mounted also on the data processing apparatus, such as a personal computer. This system is formed such that the radio communication antenna of the IC module 101 attached to the accessed object 100 is brought into face-to-face relation to and in proximity to the radio communication antenna 106 to thereby electromagnetically couple the two antennas together, making it possible to read or write information on the IC chip in the non-contact IC module through the intermediary of those antennas.
In FIG. 3, the accessed object 100 has the IC module 101 mounted on one plane surface thereof. If information is exchanged by having the accessed object 100 laid on its side as shown on the right side in FIG. 3 so that the IC module 101 faces the coil antenna for radio communication, when the accessed object 100 stands upright as shown on the left side in FIG. 3, it is necessary to lay the accessed object 100 on its side so as to face the antenna 106, and this handling of the accessed object 100 is troublesome.